How to Put In and Take Out Contacts — Plus Daily Hygiene Basics

Contact lenses are comfortable tools when handled correctly, but mistakes can lead to eye problems. Long-time wearers especially tend to drift into their own habits, so it's worth revisiting the basics. Note: if you feel anything wrong with your eyes, don't self-diagnose — see an eye doctor.

Before you start: clean hands

Everything begins with clean hands. Before touching a lens, wash with soap, rinse thoroughly, and dry with a lint-free towel.

Long nails can scratch the lens or your eye, so be careful. If you use hand cream or makeup, put your lenses in first so oils don't transfer to them.

How to insert a lens

Place the lens on the tip of your index finger and check it's the right way out. A clean bowl shape is correct; edges flaring outward mean it's inside out.

Looking in a mirror, hold your upper eyelid with your other hand and your lower eyelid with the middle finger of the hand holding the lens, opening your eye wide. Gently place the lens on the colored part of your eye and slowly release. Blink a few times; once it settles in the center, you're done.

If it feels gritty or your vision is unclear, remove it and check.

How to remove a lens

Clean your hands first here too. Looking in a mirror, open your eyelids and lightly touch the lens on your eye with your dominant hand.

Slide the lens downward and gently pinch it off with your thumb and index finger. Use the pads of your fingers, not your nails. If it feels dry and stuck, add some drops or rewetting solution first so you can remove it without scratching.

Daily hygiene (for two-week and monthly lenses)

For non-disposable lenses, daily care determines your eye health.

Clean and store the lens in fresh solution every time. Never "top up" old solution — adding to yesterday's liquid means storing your lens in solution where bacteria may have grown.

The case gets dirty too. Rinse it regularly, let it air dry, and replace it every few months. A dirty case is easy to overlook but a common source of trouble.

What not to do

Avoid rinsing or cleaning lenses with tap water. Tap water can contain microorganisms harmful to the eye and is known to cause serious infections.

Avoid sleeping in lenses unless the product specifically allows it — your eyes are starved of oxygen. And don't keep using lenses past their replacement date, since the risk of buildup and deterioration rises.

Discomfort is a signal

If redness, pain, blurriness, or a foreign-body sensation persists, remove the lens and wait; if it doesn't improve, see an eye doctor. Contacts are convenient, but they're a medical device touching your eye directly. When something feels off, don't push through — that's the secret to comfortable long-term use.

Build a system for the basics

Correct insertion and removal, daily care, and respecting the replacement date — only when all three come together are contacts a safe tool.

Of these, "respecting the replacement date" is surprisingly easy to forget. Lenslog calculates the replacement date from your opening date and reminds you as it approaches. Master insertion and removal through habit, and leave date tracking to a system. Do that, and daily contact life becomes far safer and more comfortable.